Inflatable apparatus for packaging bottles

ABSTRACT

A container for storing a plurality of bottles. The container comprises an inflatable assembly having a plurality of holes with bulging walls. Each one of the holes is configured to encircle at least one of the plurality of bottles.

RELATED APPLICATION

This Application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/852,994 filed on Oct. 20, 2006, the contents of which are hereby incorporated herein.

FIELD AND BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for packaging bottles and, more particularly, but not exclusively to a novel container and method that can be used for packaging fragile bottles such as wine bottles and chemicals, such as acids, containing bottles.

Containers have heretofore been provided for packaging bottles including bottles, such as wine bottles, during their storage and transport. Typically, such containers have corrugated or chipboard partitions inside to provide support and prevent contact of the containers or bottles with each other. The use of such vertical partitions has a number of disadvantages. One of the prominent disadvantages is that the use of vertical partitions may not provide the necessary protection which is needed in order to secure the bottles. Another disadvantage is that the labels which are glued to by the bottles' surface may be scuffed because the labels contact the partitions and the box interior during motion of the containers during transportation of the same from one location to another. The scuffing seriously affects the appearance of the bottle, which is significant for example for wine bottles or alike. As the appearance of the bottle is damaged the resale value of the bottles is significantly affected. Moreover, such vertical partitions generally require assembly before placement in the containers thereby increasing the cost for packaging. In addition, the vertical partitions may be worn out after several uses. As worn out vertical partitions may be replaced by new partitions, packaging costs may increase.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention discloses an inflatable assembly for packaging one or more bottles, such as wine bottles. The inflatable assembly may be secured in a box made of rigid cardboard, wood or a like, by means of self-locking flaps. The inflatable assembly will be manufactured in different dimensions, and thus will fit any size box commonly used for packing fragile bottles, such as wine bottles. The inflatable assembly comprises holes having a perimeter that is approximately the perimeter of each one of the packaged bottles. The inflatable assembly further comprises a valve that facilitates the inflation and deflation of the inflatable assembly. Optionally, the center of the inflatable assembly is situated approximately equidistantly from the bottom closure and a top closure. Optionally, the circumferential edges of the inflatable assembly are coupled to the inner side of the walls of the box using hooks or alike. In use, bottles are inserted through the holes when the flexible inflatable assembly is deflated. Thereafter, the apparatus is inflated, optionally by an air pump that is connected to the valve. The inflated inflatable assembly firmly encircles the bottles, which are situated in the holes. Optionally, this encircling fixates the bottles' position.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention is herein described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings. With specific reference now to the drawings in detail, it is stressed that the particulars shown are by way of example and for purposes of illustrative discussion of the preferred embodiments of the present invention only, and are presented in order to provide what is believed to be the most useful and readily understood description of the principles and conceptual aspects of the invention. In this regard, no attempt is made to show structural details of the invention in more detail than is necessary for a fundamental understanding of the invention, the description taken with the drawings making apparent to those skilled in the art how the several forms of the invention may be embodied in practice.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a container with an inflatable assembly for packaging one or more bottles, according to one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an array of tubes in an inflatable assembly in a deflated state, according to one embodiment of the present invention. Each tube encircle a bottle;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a tube of an inflatable assembly in an inflated state, according to one embodiment of the prior art; and

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a container that includes an inflatable assembly for packaging one or more bottles, according to one embodiment of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present embodiments comprise a container with an inflatable assembly for packaging bottles of any kind, such as glass bottles, for example wine bottles, or a tube shaped articles, such as glass tubes.

The principles and operation of an apparatus, system and method according to the present invention may be better understood with reference to the drawings and accompanying description.

Before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments or of being practiced or carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.

Reference is now made to FIG. 1, which depicts a container 1 that contains an inflatable assembly 2, according to an embodiment of the present invention. The inflatable assembly 2 is designed to protect bottles from breakage during shipment and alike, as further described below.

The container 1 optionally includes a case 20, such as a single piece of corrugated cardboard or the like and is rectangular in the case 20, having four sidewalls 10, 11, 12, and 13 and two closure assemblies 14 and 15 integral therewith and serving to close the bottom and the top thereof, respectively.

The inflatable assembly 2 is optionally made as a single inflatable piece that is capable of taking up the inner space of the container 1, to be engaged relatively closely against the sidewalls 10, 11, 12, 13 of the container 1. The inflatable assembly 2 may be stretched all along the container's walls, or along a segment of the walls, as shown at 6. A number of holes 4 are provided in the inflatable assembly 2. The diameter of each one of the holes is configured to allow the placing of a bottle 3 or a tube shaped article within the hole. In one embodiment of the present invention a number of holes array are provided in the inflatable assembly 2 in a parallel manner. Such a holes arrangement allows the placing of plurality of bottles 3 in juxtaposed positions within the container 1. The bottles are optionally of a type having a base (not shown) and a body 8 adjoining the base. The body has a shoulder 9 at its upper extremity. A bottle neck 16 adjoins the shoulder 9. The bottles 3 can contain a suitable liquid as for example wine and the wine is sealed therein in a suitable manner such as by a cork. Each of the bottles 3 is optionally provided with a label that is adhered to the body of the bottle exterior of the bottle, generally below the shoulder, and extends circumferentially around at least a portion of the bottle. Optionally, each one of the holes 4 is configured to encircle a bottle, which is placed within it so as the inner-side of the hole, is engaged relatively closely against the body of the bottles 3.

Optionally, the inflatable assembly 2 is used as a container by itself, for example as depicted in FIG. 4 that is a perspective view of the inflatable assembly 2 that is depicted in FIG. 1, without the case 20, according to one embodiment of the present invention. In such an embodiment, the packaging process may be simpler and cheaper as the inflatable assembly 2 and the bottles 3 are not packaged in the case 20. Optionally the inflatable assembly 2 covers bottles 3. Optionally, one or more of the walls of the inflatable assembly 2 are hardened with a layer of a rigid material. Optionally, the rigid material is metal, such as nickel or aluminum or a polymer such as polyethylene (PE).

The inflatable assembly 2 comprises a valve 5 that allows a flow of air to be pumped into the inner-space of the inflatable structure. Optionally, the valve 5 is an inflation valve that is designed to allow the initial inflation of the inflatable assembly 2 and periodic maintenance of the pressure level range within the inflatable assembly's internal space.

Optionally, the valve 5 is sealably positioned within an aperture formed in the inflatable assembly 2. Optionally, the valve 5 is a one-way valve that is designed to be connected to a pump. In use, after or when the bottles are positioned in the holes, the pump is connected to the valve 5. When activated, the connected pump inflates the inflatable assembly 2, thereby increases the inflatable assembly's grip on the bottles, as further described below.

It should be noted that as the inflatable assembly 2 holes, as shown at 4, and not closed pockets the packaging of bottles in the inflatable assembly 2 may be performed more efficiently. The holes allow the positioning of the inflatable assembly 2 in a partially inflated or uninflated state to encircle bottles, which are conveyed on a belt conveyor or the liked. The positioning may be performed without lifting the bottles from the belt conveyor and allows the inflating of the inflatable assembly 2 to encircle firmly the bottles 3, as further described below. As the bottles are not lifted from the belt conveyor and/or as the inflating and/or the positioning of the inflatable assembly 2 may be performed while the bottles 3 are on the conveyer belt, the packaging of the bottles can be performed relatively fast. Furthermore, as the inflatable assembly 2 may firmly encircle the bottles 3, the inflatable assembly 2 and the bottles 3 can be lifted as one article, without taking hold of each one of the bottles.

Optionally, the inflatable assembly 2 can be inflated and deflated more than once. In such an embodiment, the inflatable assembly 2 is reusable and may be used for packaging bottles in more than one shipment.

Reference is now made to FIG. 2, which is a sectional view of an array of holes 100 in an inflatable assembly 2 in a deflated state, according to one embodiment of the present invention. In the depicted array in FIG. 2, the holes 4, the bottles 3 and the inflatable assembly 2 are as in FIG. 1. However, FIG. 2 further depicts the airflow inside the inner space of the inflatable assembly 2.

The inflatable assembly 2 is optionally made by welding together the edges of two or more sheets of flexible transparent plastic material. Optionally, the inflatable assembly 2 is made from Mylar or similar types of polyester or other types of plastic films. The thickness of the film may be about one to ten mils thick depending upon the material used and the size of the inflatable assembly 2.

Optionally, the inflatable assembly 2 is used for providing thermal insulation to the bottles. In such an embodiment, barrier the inflatable assembly 2 is used for minimizing the transfer of heat from the outer surrounding to the inner-side of the holes and to the encircled bottles 3 and vise versa, by reducing the conduction, the convection and the radiation effects. The thermal insulation level of the inflatable assembly 2 is of great importance, in particular, because the energy requirements to maintain the temperature of the bottles can be significantly reduced by insulating the bottles with effective thermal insulation. Optionally, as depicted in FIG. 2, the inflatable assembly 2 encircles the bottles completely. In such an embodiment, the thermal insulation is higher as the bottles 3 are completely covered by the inflatable assembly 2.

As depicted in FIG. 1, the outside face of the assembly 200 is defined by a sheet of substantially plane plastic material so as to enable it to be pressed closely against the corresponding inside faces of the container. The inside faces of the holes 4 is designed to be bulging, as illustrated and for reasons explained below.

As described above, the inflatable assembly 2 is constructed as a single inflatable piece which is capable of taking up the inner space of the container 1 when inflated. In order to allow the protection of bottles from breakage during shipment and alike, the inflatable assembly 2 have to be fixed firmly to the container 1.

As the inflatable assembly 2 takes up the inner space of the container, its external walls are firmly fixed to the container 1. However, in order to fixate the bottles, the inner side of each of the holes 4 has to be closely attached to the bottle placed which is placed within. When inflated, the inside faces of the holes are bulged, as shown at numeral 201 of FIG. 3, which is a perspective view of a tube of an inflatable assembly in an inflated state, according to one embodiment of the prior art. The bulging part is coupled to no less than some of the bottle's body, as depicted in FIG. 3. Such bulging ensures that the inflatable assembly 2 has a foothold of the bottles in a manner that prevents the trembling of the bottles in relation to the container.

It is expected that during the life of this patent many relevant devices and systems will be developed and the scope of the terms herein, particularly of the terms container, inflatable assembly, and bottle are intended to include all such new technologies a priori.

It is appreciated that certain features of the invention, which are, for clarity, described in the context of separate embodiments, may also be provided in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features of the invention, which are, for brevity, described in the context of a single embodiment, may also be provided separately or in any suitable subcombination.

Although the invention has been described in conjunction with specific embodiments thereof, it is evident that many alternatives, modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, it is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications and variations that fall within the spirit and broad scope of the appended claims. All publications, patents, and patent applications mentioned in this specification are herein incorporated in their entirety by reference into the specification, to the same extent as if each individual publication, patent or patent application was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated herein by reference. In addition, citation or identification of any reference in this application shall not be construed as an admission that such reference is available as prior art to the present invention. 

1. A container for storing a plurality of bottles, comprising: an inflatable assembly having a plurality of holes with bulging walls, each said hole being configured for encircling one of said plurality of bottles; and a case having spaced parallel sidewalls and spaced parallel end and top, said inflatable assembly being positioned within said case.
 2. The container of claim 1, wherein said inflatable assembly has a parallelepiped shape.
 3. The container of claim 1, wherein inflatable assembly is made from Mylar.
 4. The container of claim 1, wherein said inflatable assembly encircles firmly said plurality of bottles in an inflated state.
 5. The container of claim 1, wherein said plurality of holes are open holes.
 6. A method for packaging a plurality of bottles, comprising: a) providing an inflatable assembly having a plurality of holes with bulging walls; b) positioning at least one of said plurality of bottles in at least one of said plurality of holes; c) inflating said inflatable assembly in order to reduce the perimeter of at least a portion of said holes, thereby encircling each said bottle.
 7. The method if claim 6, further comprising casing said inflated inflatable assembly in a case.
 8. The method if claim 6, further comprising conveying said plurality of bottles on a conveyer belt before said positioning.
 9. The method if claim 6, wherein said inflated inflatable having a parallelepiped shape.
 10. The method if claim 6, wherein said encircling comprises firmly encircling each said bottle.
 11. A container for storing a plurality of bottles comprises an inflatable assembly having a plurality of holes with bulging walls, each said hole being configured to encircle at least one of said plurality of bottles.
 12. The container of claim 11, wherein each said hole is configured to firmly encircle at least one of said plurality of bottles.
 13. The container of claim 11, wherein said inflatable assembly has a parallelepiped shape.
 14. The container of claim 11, wherein inflatable assembly is made from Mylar.
 15. The container of claim 11, wherein said inflatable assembly encircles firmly said plurality of bottles in an inflated state.
 16. The container of claim 11, wherein said plurality of holes are open holes.
 17. The container of claim 11, wherein said inflatable assembly having a plurality of side walls, at least one of said side walls being hardened with a layer of a rigid material.
 18. The container of claim 11, wherein said inflatable assembly having a valve, said valve being configured to allow inflation and disinflation of said inflatable assembly. 